Minutes for June 2025 WNA General Meeting

2025-06-21

Minutes for June 2025 WNA General Meeting

Woodlawn Neighborhood Association General Meeting Agenda

Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 6:30 pm

Please make every effort to join us In Person at Classic Foods: 817 NE Madrona

Or join the meeting online via Zoom (now with improved audio): https://zoom.us/j/3014662210?pwd=d3VKbXkzVldqYzNWU2RwVm9OUkZyZz 09

Meeting ID: 301 466 2210 , Passcode: WNA

Streamed/recorded on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@woodlawnneighborhoodassoci5818

Welcome and Vision: “In the future, Woodlawn will be a place where people live harmoniously, respectfully, and in support of one another. The neighborhood will be a clean and thriving community… All Woodlawn residents will share and pursue the common values of health, efficiency, beauty, equity, and justice.”

6:30 – 6:45 Social Time

Introduce any new members
Social time – Talk to your neighbors

6:45 – 7:30 General Business

Approve May meeting notes.

Linde makes a motion to approve the MAY minutes. Melissa seconds it. All are in favor. Minutes are approved.

Presentation by John Laurence, Volunteer Inventory Manager of the St. Andrew Emergency Food Pantry. He talked about current issues facing area food banks and pantries. Food insecurity is definitely present in our neighborhood. The Portland council has 44 pantries in Multnomah/Washington/Clackamas. They partner with Oregon Food Bank which has about 1400 locations throughout the area. Part of the group also serves about 800-1000 meals per month primarily Walnut Park. 97211/97212 zip codes mostly served but are not restrictive. No ID, no proof of residency, no proof of citizenship, no need to list your address. The St. Andrew Emergency Food Pantry is a St. Vincent de Paul-affiliated food pantry. It serves the 97211/97212 zip codes but is not restrictive. No ID, no proof of residency, no proof of citizenship, no need to list your address in order to have access to food. In 2023, 17,000 individuals served. In 2024—28,500 = a 65% increase and projections are for a 15% increase in 2025.

The pantries normally get food donated from producers and retailers. And they get contributions of produce from local produce suppliers or commercial agricultural enterprises. Food is also purchased and donated on a regular basis. The Oregon Food Bank buys using USDA funds, state funds, or grant funds. Roughly 10,000 pounds of food donated every month; it comes from all over the place. Unfortunately the Oregon State money has already run out.

20% of food at Oregon Food Bank is through USDA programs. The recent USDA Freeze—froze all payments through the commodity credit organization, the folks that provide the money for food pantries from the government. St. Andrew has received a grant from Weston Foundation. Perhaps WNA could explore if any such grants could be used to help our neighborhood and neighbors? All the food pantries in our neighborhood areas need volunteers if anyone is interested.

The St. Charles food pantry over on NE 42^nd is connected with the Urban Gleaners who often come and set up outside their food pantry. They also receive donations from assorted community gardens. Another program through the Oregon Food Bank—Fresh Alliance to match you with grocery stores to get “prepared food.”

Reports on other projects: Donation Drive, Dates for Movie Night, Neighborhood socials.

No updates.

Grants are a possible way to seek funds. Perhaps we can explore foundations like Weston whose grants are often unrestricted in terms of how they can be used. What about grants re: information that benefits our neighborhood and its residents? What about a list of topics people can engage with us on re: volunteering? What grants could be explored to creatively underwrite your “existing” and “ongoing” costs? Other ideas—Community-building and food. Outreach to elderly neighbors. Working on getting food donated.

Instead of having a presenter for our July meeting, we plan to use the time for additional brainstorming and sharing of ideas on these subjects.

Update on Pedalpalooza Bike Ride—July 19^th.

History bike ride with John and Anjala again this year. It starts at 10 AM in the Piedmont neighborhood at the gazebo at Peninsula Park. John met with Don Robinson, the president of Piedmont NA. And John went to Concordia meeting and those folks are also on board. Neighborhood history “lessons” will be offered to riders from the participating NAs. The ride should finish up around noon at at the Woodlawn Farmers Market. This is one of many city-wide rides happening during the Pedalpalooza season!

Neighborhood Night Out (POP), Tuesday August 5^th

No updates right now. We didn’t get the city reimbursement grant because submissions were shut down early.

Time for Neighbor Open Comments

Food as a draw for the meetings as a way to get more people. Cookie recipe swap for a meeting for our “cookie wind” neighborhood.

Anjala reports that Campana is in the running for best Italian restaurant in the city.

Discussion about grant-writing and pursuit. We need a volunteer who is interested in fundraising, grant writing, etc.? Keith will attempt to make a list of potential grants and get them to us.

Woodlawn NA will be participating in Cully Sunday Parkways again this year on Sunday June 29th. Cathy from Concordia is setting up at 37^th and Alberta Court to host a table for Sunday Parkways. Melissa and Nancy will volunteer as WNA reps again.

7:30 – 7:50 Board Business

Treasurer’s Report – Melissa

$3508.88. We made $35 in cash donations at the Indoor Farmers Market. Backup battery pack still needs to be purchased.

In the past, the neighborhood cleanup was our big money-raisers where significant funds were raised. Neighborhood Night Out is a break-even event instead. We need new ideas for how to fill our coffers so we can continue offerings for our neighborhood.

Farmer’s Market Update & Winter Markets – Keith

Market opens on June 7^th. New signs are out and about the neighborhood with the new start and end times on them. Stickers will be arriving to update last year’s signs as well. Right now there is just under $30K in account much earmarked for specific purposes. One grant allowed for 6 hours a week employee to help during the market, to help PZ.

Secretary Report – Nancy

Nancy will be putting more links to upcoming events on the website.

Nancy will link to the Oregon Food Bank food finder map and the Portland Parks and Recreation Summer free for all events.

Outreach and community engagement Report – Linde

More items need to be added to a newsletter already.

The Breakside annual anniversary block party is on on June 14^th.

Buy Nothing free sale was a popular community-building event.

NECN Report – Anjala

NECN is running well under budget. However, there have been budget cuts and there is still not a final budget. NECN has a few reserves and could weather this situation with (hopefully) no disruption in services. If cuts are necessary, the communication funds may be on the chopping block first. Insurance for NAs is also possibly at risk. NECN gets a statement of work from the city. NECN voted to write a letter of advocacy re: working to further bombproof the oil storage facilities in St. John’s area. In addition, U of O Portland is trying to prevent the cut to the 8 and 17 bus lines. We need to be taking the bus more often as higher ridership = better for us!

In addition, Woodlawn NA needs to send an email to NECN stating who our representatives are for this year. There is a form to do this on available from NECN. Nancy as Secretary can provide this information and will take care of submitting.